The Rainbow of My Garden Trivia Quiz

Answer: Torch Lily

This striking African native plant brings architectural drama to the garden with its vertical, rocket-shaped flower spikes. The torch lily is also commonly known as the red hot poker. It has tubular blooms which unfurl from the bottom up, and they transition in colour to create a fiery, multi-toned gradient, hence the name.

They are rich in nectar so these flowers are irresistible to hummingbirds and other pollinators, if you want to attract them to your garden. Regardless, they bring bright colour and structurally diverse blooms throughout the summer months.

Answer: Marigold

Marigolds are beloved for their cheery, pom-pom shaped blooms. They are an essential annual must-buy for both beauty and companion planting. More so, I buy them because they emit a sharp, pungent fragrance due to some natural chemical compounds that effectively repel destructive garden pests like nematodes and aphids, and mosquitos don't like them much either.

The flowers have dense, ruffled orange and deep yellow petals. They are great for brightening borders from late spring until the first frost, and they are very hardy and require minimal maintenance to thrive.

Answer: Sunflower

More than just a cheerful backyard giant, the sunflower boasts an extraordinary biological resilience. No matter what, it tracks the sun across the sky every day. That's what's known as heliotropism and it's especially noticeable because of their large flowers.

The sunflower's massive heads produce oil-rich seeds which are loved by humans and wildlife alike. The flower's unique robustness caught the attention of NASA scientists; they selected sunflower seeds to be successfully grown and studied in microgravity aboard the International Space Station. Regardless, they are the tallest flower in my garden.

Answer: Ireland

Despite its luck-of-the-Irish common name, Bells of Ireland is an annual flower and is actually native to the dry climates of Turkey and Syria. The plant is grown for its tall, spectacular spikes lined with large, shell-like chartreuse cups. Technically speaking, these green bells are enlarged sepals that shelter tiny, fragrant white flowers inside.

This makes them a highly prized foliage choice and they are used in fresh or dried floral arrangements rather often.

Answer: Forget-me-not

I can never forget to prune my forget-me-nots. These are a delicate, low-growing perennial which create a carpet of sky-blue across my garden floor every spring. Each tiny, five-petaled blossom has a brilliant yellow star eye in the center. They are technically self-seeders, year after year they come back stronger by dropping their lightweight seeds at the end of the season.

Their charming blue will endure the harsh winter months to return even more numerous the next time the garden is in bloom.

Answer: Siberian Iris

Renowned for its elegant, slender foliage and structural grace, the Siberian Iris stands out. It's a perennial with intensely coloured indigo petals that seems regal. The plant's blossoms display a classic iris architecture, split evenly between three upright petals and three drooping sepals.

At the back of the flower there is a breathtakingly intricate pattern of white and gold filigree. This contrasts beautifully against the rich, velvety Russian-blue background. I planted these irises but forgot to contain them, and they spread, a lot, before I went out to add borders.

Answer: Spring Crocus

Crocus budding, spring is coming! So, these hardy little bulbs are famous for their cold tolerance, frequently pushing their cup-shaped petals right through a layer of late winter/early spring snow. On sunny days, the vibrant purple petals open wide to reveal a glowing, bright orange stamen middle. Though I won't be harvesting these for saffron, I'm happy I planted them as they add some colour to the garden before even the green pokes through.

They also provide an invaluable and necessary early food source for waking queen bees when the rest of the garden is dormant.

Answer: Bleeding Heart

These whimsical flowers had already been planted in my garden, amongst the grape vines, when I moved in. One can't miss the interestingly-shaped pink flowers that appear all in a row. Every May, they send out long, elegant, horizontally arching stems. Suspended beneath these stems are dozens of bright pink, puffy blossoms.

They look like like tiny Valentine's Day lockets, with each heart featuring a delicate white inner petal that appears to be dripping from the base, hence the name. They prefer shade and moisture and add a different look to the usual flowers that grow.

Answer: Trillium

The white trillium is a protected forest native and the proud provincial emblem of Ontario. Talk about pedantic, this plant follows the rule of three down to the root, featuring a single stalk topped by three broad green leaves, three pointed green sepals, and three pristine white petals (though sometimes, a pink can be seen as the flower matures). Blooming in late May, these flowers prefer a damp, dark corner to thrive.

Answer: Petunia

These are one of the most-commonly planted annuals in people's gardens, from a brief (unscientific) look around the neighbourhood. Petunias are often in pink and purple, but some modern cultivars like the aptly-named 'Black Velvet' offer a dramatic, velvety jet-black alternative.

These dark trumpet-shaped flowers create a stunning, high-contrast focal point in my garden. In a basket, they usually grow long so that they cascade beautifully over the edges and are quite aesthetic, blooming continuously from early summer right through autumn.